Naughty Loggerheads

Hello Wetpixel,

Loads of cool stuff showing up here in WPB. This is from last week. Conditions have been awesome. Taken with a d700, Aquatica, megadome, 2 inons and 16mm.

Best,

Michael Patrick O'Neill

www.mpostock.com

Great photos and a wonderful thing to witness.

Thanks for sharing

Should be marked NSFTW (Not Safe For Turtles At Work)!

You can really see why the males have the extra claw on their front flippers! Great shots to show how it is used!

Lovely!

NSFTW - Hilarious wizbones!

Best, Carol

Sweet!

How cool!

Great shot Michael!

Thanks for sharing!

the second picture is fantastic!

uuh...there is something thats look at me on the first picture!

Dumb questions.

Do all male turtles of other species have the claw ?

Is it retractable or fixed ?

Just interested.

Paul C

Dumb questions.

 

Do all male turtles of other species have the claw ?

 

Is it retractable or fixed ?

 

Just interested.

 

Paul C

Hi Paul,

I believe the male loggerhead is the only one that has it. I've photographed in the wild adult male leatherbacks, hawksbills and greens and don't recall/see claws on their front flippers in the images. It's also fixed.

Regards,

MPO

Hi Paul,

I believe the male loggerhead is the only one that has it. I've photographed in the wild adult male leatherbacks, hawksbills and greens and don't recall/see claws on their front flippers in the images. It's also fixed.

Regards,

MPO

I believe this is a Hawks bill---am I correct---I was just wondering what the claw was for.

Yeah, that's a hawksbill, diverdon.

I believe all sea turtle species, and both males and females, have one or two claws on the foreflippers—hence the need to do gender ID by looking at the tails and not the flippers. However, mature males (except for leatherbacks) have longer and curvier forelimb claws than mature females.

Thanks - looks like a useful tool to have on the fin!

Paul C

I believe all sea turtle species, and both males and females, have one or two claws on the foreflippers—hence the need to do gender ID by looking at the tails and not the flippers. However, mature males (except for leatherbacks) have longer and curvier forelimb claws than mature females.

Here is a green female with claws:

http://www.pbase.com/borneobent/image/110717832

Bent C

Here is a green female with claws:

 

http://www.pbase.com/borneobent/image/110717832

 

Bent C

Yup. Small, uncurved claws.

Yup. Small, uncurved claws.

Looking through all my turtle pictures, I can´t find a green male where the claws show. But the claws on males definitely are larger and more curved.

Another clawed green female, this one from Marsa Abu Dabbab: http://www.pbase.com/borneobent/image/97506621

Bent C